Favorite Sousaphone valve wrap

[mammoth2ba]

I'd like to have been able to cast 2 votes: Conn & Martin.

The Martins I've encountered, and the early Conns had all the valve slides moveable......both above and below the valveset.

I strongly dislike the King sousa wrap with the "water key" that pokes me in the ribs. Dumb. First time I marched with a King, when I set the horn down after playing the water key "lever" snagged my brand new shirt and ripped it entirely across the back, from one sleeve to the other.

[iiipopes]

I like the Conn because of the left hand accessibility to the upper loop of the 1st valve circuit that can be converted to a movable, usable slide to aid intonation.

[TUBAD83]

I prefer Yamaha the best out the 3 suzies I have played/marched with (Conn, King, Yamaha).

I disliked the Conn wrap because you constantly have to drain it or it will start leaking on you. It was fine for a halftime show or short performances, but if you're doing a brigade level or higher Change of Command ceremony or a parade over 2 miles long, you're going to be draining it alot. After ruining several "class b" dress shirts, I made a "bib" that I could very discreetly wear in front of my shirt to catch the water. Once I got a new Yamaha suzie, the bib went away!

JJ

[Tubaryan12]

I prefer the Conn wrap because it is more....how shall I put this....."fat friendly".

[emcallaway]

I voted for Conn because I'm yet to meet an older Conn that I didn't like.
edit: I have now also voted for Besson.

That being said the Besson sousaphone wrap is actually one of the most comfortable I've ever seen. It needs to be though: Besson sousaphones must weigh at least half again as much as "normal" sousaphones, so they would spend a lot of time gathering dust if the wrap wasn't ergonomically done. Have I mentioned that I've these horns are impossible to break unless you're specifically try to hurt the horn?

Hmmph...I didn't want to sound so positive about the Besson there. Even if I respect the wrap, they are tricky to play (especially so in tune), so don't run out and buy one unless you specifically want a heavy, stuffy, bomb of a horn.

[mammoth2ba]

I disliked the Conn wrap because you constantly have to drain it or it will start leaking on you. After ruining several "class b" dress shirts, I made a "bib" that I could very discreetly wear in front of my shirt to catch the water.

My experience has shown that raising the lower bows of a Conn sousaphone so the body wraps of the horn are near parallel with the ground and then pumping the valves a few times while held in that position, eliminates significant water out the bottom valve caps.

Since that discovery I've had no shirt stains......no bib required.

My Martin Mammoth used to stain shirts, but I sold it before I "discovered" the lift and pump method.

I can't speak for all the Conn models, but the 22K, 32K, 38K, 40K, 46K and 48K and the Martin Mammoths all have significantly larger body openings than Yamaha, for those of us not as thin as the Surgeon General might deem "ideal".